Method and system of managing and allocating communication related resources

ABSTRACT

A system and method for managing communication. The system and method applying to but not limited to settop boxes (STBs) and other devices used to interface services. The management including any number of features and processes associated with achieving Quality of Service (QoS) across different domains and according to network limitations associated with the same.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/993,345, filed Nov. 17, 2009, entitled “Method and System of Managingand Allocating Communication Related Resources,” which is a nationalstage entry of PCT/US06/23902, filed Jun. 20, 2006, which claims thebenefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/692,181 filed Jun.20, 2005. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/993,345 is incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to methods and systems associated withmanaging settop box (STB) communications.

2. Background Art

Media content providers, such as but not limited to television serviceproviders, typically include a settop box (STB) or other customerpremises equipment (CPE) to support interfacing customer site deviceswith devices of the service provider. These customer devices may includememories, processors, and other capabilities to support descramblingtelevision signals or otherwise supporting services offered by the same,such as high speed data services. Communications supported by thedevices are dependent on bandwidth capabilities and the ability of thedevices to process particular volumes of data through a limited numberof ports.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One non-limiting aspect of the present invention relates to managingcommunications of and/or between customer premises devices as a functionof available bandwidth.

One non-limiting aspect of the present invention relates to managingcommunications of and/or between STBs as a function of availablebandwidth.

One non-limiting aspect of the present invention relates to managingcommunications as a function of network prioritization.

One non-limiting aspect of the present invention relates to a method ofmanaging settop box (STB) communications. The method may includedifferentiating communications between the STB and secured and unsecurednetworks in communication therewith, and permitting the STB to freelycommunicate with the secured network and requiring the STB to securelycommunicate across the unsecured network such that signals arecommunicated differently according to whether the signals are associatedwith secured or unsecured networks.

One non-limiting aspect of the present invention relates to a method ofmanaging communications between a settop box (STB) and an authorizedservice domain, a best efforts domain, and an approved output domain.The method may include prioritizing available bandwidth to supportcontent delivery over the authorized service domain prior to requestsfor the same so as to guarantee content delivery over the authorizedservice domain, and allocating available bandwidth to support contentdelivery over the best efforts and approved output domain as requestsfor the same are determined such that content delivery over the bestefforts and approved output domains occurs only over bandwidth notprioritized to support the authorized service domain.

One non-limiting aspect of the present invention relates to a method ofenabling a STB otherwise unable to support packet switch management tosupport the same. The method may include attaching a secondary packetswitch manager to the STB, the packet switch processor configured totime-delay packet deliveries to the STB as a function of bandwidthconstraints on the STB such that the secondary packet switch processordelays data communications to the STB so as to confirm to the bandwidthconstraints.

One non-limiting aspect of the present invention relates to a multipleport packet management device. The device may be configured forconnecting to a STB, routing information between the ports as a functionof prioritization values associated therewith, and formatting theinformation according to protocols of the STB such that the STB is ableto process the managed packets.

The above features and advantages, along with other features andadvantages of the present invention, are readily apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the invention when taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is pointed out with particularity in the appendedclaims. However, other features of the present invention will becomemore apparent and the present invention will be best understood byreferring to the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompany drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a managed networking system in accordance with onenon-limiting aspect of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart of a method of managing STBcommunications in accordance with one non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

FIG. 1 illustrates a managed networking system 10 in accordance with onenon-limiting aspect of the present invention. The system may include asettop box (STB) 12, a dongle 14, a guaranteed service domain 16, anapproved output domain 18, a best efforts domain 20, and a number ofports 24-28. Each of the domains may be part of a subscriber homenetwork or associated with some other internal or external network ofthe STB. The dongle may be configured to manage communications betweenthe STB and the different domains.

The present invention is able to manage and allocate communicationsassociated with the STB and the different domains in communicationtherewith. The dongle may be configured to control STB activities andinteractions with the various domains in accordance with the parametersof the present invention. The dongle may include memories, processors,interfaces, ports, and other capabilities necessary to execute thedesired management operations. The dongle may include any number ofinstructions sets and configurations to facilitate communications withany number of or type of STB, regardless of the STB's vendor.

The dongle may be any type of content adapter or other adapter havingany number of ports or other elements to facilitate interfacing signalsbetween the domains and the STB. The dongle may be attached to the STB,embedded, or otherwise integrated within the operation of the same. Thedongle may be an after market attachment to the STB and/or otherwiseincluded within the same at the time of manufacturing.

The STB may be a common STB provided by a wireline or wirelesstelevision service provider, but the present invention is not so limitedand fully contemplates the STB being or associated with any otherelement used to interface services. The media provider, for exemplarypurposes, is most prominently described with respect to being a cabletelevision service provider having capabilities for providing cabletelevision, telecommunications, and high-speed data services to thesubscriber locations, primarily through wireline and/or wirelinecommunications.

The present invention, however, is not so limited and fully contemplatesthe provider being associated with any type of service provider,including other television providers (IP, broadcast, satellite, etc.)and non-television providers, such as those associated with high-speeddata, telecommunications, cellular communications, and the like.

The media provider may be configured to support and/or facilitate theuse of any number of television and non-television services andapplications, such as, but not limited to, linear and non-lineartelevision programming/signaling (cable, satellite, broadcast, etc.),Video on Demand (VOD), interactive television (iTV), interactive gaming,pay-per-view (PPV), digital video recording (local and remote), andothers.

The STB may include any number of features and capabilities to supportany number of provider and non-provider related services, includingcapabilities to facilitate descrambling scrambled television signals andoutputting the descrambled signals to a television or other outputdevice for viewing or other processing. The STB may also include othercapabilities for supporting other services offered by a serviceprovider, including but not limited to data processing capabilitiesassociated with networking and other data related operations.

The domains may each include or be associated with any number ofnetworks, both local to and remote from the STB. The networks mayinclude any number of features and devices to facilitate signaltransportation and other operations associated with interfacing the STBwith other network related elements and devices or otherwise supportingcommunications associated with services of the media provider. Thenetworks may include terrestrial and extraterrestrial components andinfrastructures, including cable lines, telephone lines, and/orsatellite or other wireless architectures. The networks may beassociated with other private and/or public networks, such as theInternet and dedicated or virtual private networks.

The networks may include one or more of network support features, suchas a headend, router, hub, switch, gateway, conditional access router(CARs), cable modem terminations system (CMTSs), network provisioningunit (NPUs), session boarder controller, media gateway, media gatewaycontroller, signaling gateway, call management server, presence server,SIP routing proxy, SIP proxy/registrar server, PCMM policy server,bandwidth on demand server, streaming server caching proxy, gamingserver, VOD server, CDN, media acquisition server, provider server, aunified messaging server, OSS/BSS, global directory server, digital orpersonal video recorder (DVRs, PVRs), media terminal adapter (MTA),and/or outlet digital adapter (ODA).

The domains may be used to communicate signals between the STB and anynumber of other devices, such as but not limited to another STB, digitalvideo recorder (DVR), personal computer (PC), display, monitor,television (which may include embedded user interface and processingcapabilities), outlet digital adapter (ODA), media terminal adapter(MTA), cable modem (CM), personal digital assistant (PDA), computer,mobile device (phone, computer, etc.), personal media device/playing,and any other item having capabilities to supporting access to anynumber of the services.

The media devices may be themselves configured to descramble and tosupport and/or facilitate the use of any number of television andnon-television related signals, such as, but not limited to, Hyper TextTransfer Protocol (HTTP), Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP),Syslog, Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Trivial File TransferProtocol (TFTP), Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification(DOCSIS), Domain Name Server (DNS) applications, DOCSIS Settop Gateway(DSG), out-of-band (OOB) messaging, movie pictures expert groups(MPEGx), joint picture experts group (JPEGx), VC1, and others.

The media content supported by the media devices may relate to live,on-demand, or other viewing, streaming, and/or broadcasting of signalsassociated with supporting television programming, movies, audio, andother multimedia, as well as, downloading of clips or full-lengthversions of the same, all of which for exemplary purposes may begenerally referred to as programs. The content may also be associatedwith personal content or personally owned content of a subscriberassociated with the STB or other entities in communication therewith byway of one of the domains or networks associated with the domains. Thiscontent may include non-service provider content and/or service providercontent, such as but not limited to music files, digital pictures,personal data files, etc.

The content sources may be the media provider (which in turn may receivethe content from other sources) and/or one or more of the subscriberdevices or other non-subscriber devices connected to the networks. Forexample, if the media provider is a television service provider, aportion of the media content may relate to television programs, movies,and other multimedia packets. This content may be delivered from themedia service provider to the subscribers through streaming,downloading, broadcast, peer-to-peer, and any number of other processes.

The media content may be delivered to the subscriber locations directlyfrom the media service provider and/or from one or more of the otherdevices in communication therewith through one of the domains. In moredetail, as is common with larger media content providers, multipleregional enterprises, such as headend units and the like, may beconfigured to provide regional programming to a number of subscribersassociated therewith. Each of the headends may store various types ofmedia content for distribution to the subscribers it services.Optionally, the headends may be configured to support headend to headendcommunications such that non-direct subscribers, i.e., those supportedby other headends, may similarly receive content from other headends.

In addition, some of the media content may be sourced from othersubscribers, such as by transporting content stored locally on the homenetworks of the subscriber to other locations within the same homenetwork and/or to other locations beyond the home network that areotherwise in communication therewith through one of the domains. Themedia provider may include features and capabilities to facilitate suchinter-subscriber communications. Furthermore, the media content providermay include software, applications, and other logic to facilitate thedistribution and playback of the media content between any of thefeatures, devices, and elements within the system.

The guaranteed service domain may be made up of devices that canestablish and maintain guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) within a homenetwork associated with the STB. Real-time communications or otherapplications which rely on minimal jitter or delay are well suited forthis domain. For devices to reside in the guaranteed service domain, thehome network links between the dongle and guaranteed service domaindevice will need to support QoS. For example, the dongle may include aCableHome gateway with an embedded Media Terminal Adaptor (eMTA) toestablish a QoS session to reserve bandwidth across the in-home backboneduring a voice call. Content may exit the guaranteed service domainthrough the best efforts domain, optionally without any QoS guaranteesor priority.

Part of the guaranteed service domain may relate to an authorizedservice domain. The authorized service domain may be made up of devicesthat are fully within control and protection of the service provider.These devices may be considered to be a part of the cable plant forpurposes of content storage and distribution. These devices can receivecopy-never content. The requirements of the authorized service domainfocuses on enabling the service provider to securely deliver contentservices to customer premise equipment that is within the authorizedservice domain.

Content can flow into the authorized service domain from any domain, butcontent may be limited to exiting the authorized service domain througha device connect to the authorized output domain. A PMP—or even aPC—could be included as part of the authorized service domain if thedevice maintains and enforces the content security and business rulesfor that content. Enhanced Conditional Access (ECA) extends theauthorized service domain across the home network and to personal mediaplayer (PMPs). ECA may include a hardware component and more than simplya software digital rights management (DRM) mechanism.

The approved output domain may define specific digital interfaces toMSO-managed devices which can pass protected content outside of theauthorized service domain. These interfaces pass encrypted data andrespect any copy protection associated with the content. Devices in theapproved output domain may honor the encoding rules or other usagerights associated with the content, e.g. copy-never content cannot bedelivered to a storage device through the approved output domain,whereas a storage device in the approved output domain can receivecopy-never content.

The best efforts domain may includes device and network segments notconforming to the requirements of the three domains defined above.Devices in this domain may still be discovered and participate inservices that do not require content protection or guaranteed quality ofservice (QoS). A PC browsing the Internet exists in the Best EffortDomain. The guaranteed service domain and authorized service domain maybe bridged to the best efforts domain of the PC and its unfetteredInternet access. The domains may share Internet Protocol as a commonlanguage, but there may be a clear demarcation between the two thatgoverns what and how media flows between them. These domains may belogical distinctions and do not denote particular physical devices. Thuscontent may flow from the PC or from the Internet into devices that arealso part of the authorized service domain—but only as part of a secureand managed application environment.

The dongle may act as an arbitrator between the STB and domains incommunication therewith. More specifically, the dongle may manage packetcommunications between the STB and the domains so as to control thepackets processed by the STB. In this manner, the dongle is able to workwithin the bounds of the limited processing capabilities of the STB soas to provide packet management sufficient to support the variousdomains and services associated therewith. The dongle may includedlogic, logic may be downloaded thereto, or logic may be otherwisecorrelated with the same such that the logic may specify parametersassociated with managing packet delivery to the STB.

The dongle may also perform other functions with respect to thedifferent domains, elements and devices connected thereto, and anynumber of other parameters associated with managing STB interaction withthe domains and networks associated therewith. The dongle may beconfigured to analyze authenticity, security, and other parametersassociated with the domains and content communicated over the same so asto protect the STB from outside influences and hacking.

One dongle configuration differentiates STB content request betweenthose directed towards a secured or authorized network associated withone of the domains and an unsecured or unauthorized network. Thedifferentiation may include the dongle searching of requested contentfrom authorized networks before permitting searching or other exposureto the unauthorized networks. If content is only available from theunsecured or unauthorized networks, the dongle may thereafter establishsome level of security, link security (as opposed to content security),or other security in order to permit communications therewith.Conversely, if the content is from the secured or authorized network,the STB may be allowed to freely communicate according to previouslyestablished protocols and key exchanges, i.e., without additionalinterrogations before commencing communications.

Another dongle configuration may differentiate between content endpointssuch that content transferred to particular endpoints are assign rights,such as but not limited to usage rights. This can be helpful, forexample, when transmitting content from the STB to the approved outputdomain so that devices receiving the content can only access the contentwithin the parameters of the usage rights. This applies at least somelevel of control to content distributed to locations our of the serverproviders control, unlike the guaranteed and authorized service domainsthat are controlled by the service provider.

Another dongle configuration allows the dongle to manage the STB as ifthe STB were a node within a home network or within in some othernetworking scheme. This may include the dongle metering informationtravel between the ports according to limitations on the domains andnetworks associated therewith, in addition to or in place of themetering the information to the STB. As such, information routed throughthe STB can be selectively distributed to the networks associated witheach of the various domains as a function of limitations of thenetworks. For example, if one port is associated with a high-speednetwork and another port is associated with a lower speed network, thedongle may be configured to meter information travel between the twoports to that the port having the lower speed network (or endpoint) isnot overburdened. Optionally, this may include assessing bandwidthconstraints on the ports and limiting information transmission so as toprevent television viewing or access to other core services occurringover the same port.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flowchart 30 of a method of managing STBcommunications in accordance with one non-limiting aspect of the presentinvention. The method generally relates to controlling packet processingwith the dongle so as to limit processing demands on the STB. Thepresent invention, however, is not so limited and fully contemplates thedongle or operations associated therewith being performed by the STB orother entity associated therewith.

Block 32 relates to determining bandwidth constraints on the STB. Thebandwidth constraints are generally associated with processinglimitations of the STB and the need of the STB to guarantee support forparticular services associated with the media service provider. Oneaspect of this determination relates to determining bandwidthconstraints with respect to the processing capabilities of the STB.

The bandwidth constraints may be determined as a function of servicesbeing accessed through the STB, such as a function of whether the STB isbeing used to tune to television signals, watch a movie or programthrough VOD, play games through interactive gaming, access personalcontent, and other core features associated with the service provider.

The bandwidth constraints may be determined as a function of otherinfluences on the STB, such as a function of controlling the STB tooutput content from a DVR connected thereto over the approved outputdomain, receiving content at the STB from sources connected to the bestefforts domain, and other operations where immediate access to thecontent is not critical to service.

The bandwidth constraints may be determined in a real-time manner andcontinuously as a function of packets being received at the STB by thedongle. In this manner, all requests for packet processing by the STBare analyzed by the dongle and used to determine current bandwidthrequirements of the STB necessary to support the services associatedtherewith.

Block 34 relates to prioritizing the bandwidth demands as a function ofthe services associated therewith. Optionally, each packet delivered tothe dongle may be marked or otherwise tagged with an indicatorassociated with various QoS categories. The tags may be analyzed by thedongle when determining the above bandwidth constraints and used tocategories the bandwidth constraints according to different QoS levels.

For example, packets associated with the guaranteed service domain maybe associated with QoS categories having priority over the otherdomains, as packets associated with the guaranteed service domain may begiven top priority in accordance with core service support requirementsof the service provider. Various levels of priority may be associatedwith each type of packet or the content associated therewith. Based onthese QoS, the dongle may prioritize the packets to be processed by theSTB.

Block 36 relates to allocating bandwidth of the STB according to theprioritization and bandwidth capabilities of the STB. This may includeallowing the STB to process all packets received by the dongle at aparticular period of time, if the STB includes sufficient capabilities,and/or metering the packets sent to the STB as a function of the QoScategories associated therewith. Optionally, the prioritization of theQoS categories may vary as a function of services being accessed throughthe STB such that certain packets may change priority levels relative toother packets depending on the accessed service.

Block 38 relates to continuing management of STB communications byrepeating the management process described above. The management maycontinue in a real-time manner such that packets are constantly beingprioritized and delivered to the STB as a function of current bandwidthconstraints.

As noted above, one non-limiting aspect of the present inventiondescribes a set of devices that connect together within the home orother environment to share high-quality video content to televisions inthe home. A personal content adapter (dongle) may be used to allowpersonal computers to share the same network. The network containing thepersonal content adapter enables personal content on user's computers totraverse the network either between computers or between computers andthe television without affecting the quality of the television totelevision video experience.

Optionally, a network can be used to transport content between multiplereceivers (STBs, etc). Applications that allow personal content (i.e.photos, music, documents) to traverse the same network as the videoreceivers may be used to transfer other content. One non-limiting aspectof the present invention relates to assuring the video receiverapplications while offering the benefits of personal contentconnectivity.

The home network personal content adapter (dongle) advantageously may beused to fulfill the needs of media consumers with computers and videodevices located within the home. These customers are amassing quantitiesof personal content such as home videos and family photos on theircomputers. The ability to readily view these assets on the television isdesired and can be offered without with management provided with thecontent adapter. The adapter maintains a quality experience fortraditional television content viewing (both live broadcast andrecorded) while adding benefits of personal content connectivity.

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosedherein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodimentsare merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in variousand alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale, somefeatures may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particularcomponents. Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as arepresentative basis for the claims and/or as a representative basis forteaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the presentinvention.

While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described,it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe allpossible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in thespecification are words of description rather than limitation, and it isunderstood that various changes may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a content requestfor a multimedia content item from a receiver at an interface port of acontent adapter; if a priority level associated with the multimediacontent item satisfies a threshold priority level, passing themultimedia content item, retrieved via a secured network, via theinterface port of the content adapter to the receiver according to oneor more protocols and without confirming authenticity of the multimediacontent item; and if the priority level associated with the multimediacontent item does not satisfy the threshold priority level, establishinga secure link for an unsecured network and passing the multimediacontent item, retrieved via the unsecured network via the secure link,via the interface port of the content adapter to the receiver.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: confirming authenticity of themultimedia content item on the unsecured network; and in response to theconfirming, retrieving the multimedia content item via the secure linkvia the unsecured network.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the securednetwork comprises private networks of a television service provider. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein the unsecured network comprises publiclyaccessible networks.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprisingprioritizing information from the secured network and information fromthe unsecured network based on a type of the content request.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the content adapter is comprised in a proxyserver configured to service a set top box.
 7. The method of claim 5,wherein the content adapter is integrated within a set top box.
 8. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the content adapter is attached to a set topbox.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising prioritizing availablebandwidth for information downloaded to the interface port via thesecured network over information downloaded to the interface port viathe unsecured network.
 10. An apparatus comprising: a receiver device;and a content adapter comprising an interface port and a computingdevice configured to: receive a content request for a multimedia contentitem from the receiver device via the interface port; if a prioritylevel associated with the multimedia content item satisfies a thresholdpriority level, pass the multimedia content item, retrieved via asecured network, via the interface port according to one or moreprotocols and without confirming authenticity of the multimedia contentitem; and if the priority level associated with the multimedia contentitem does not satisfy the threshold priority level, pass the multimediacontent item, retrieved via an unsecured network via a secure link, viathe interface port.
 11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the contentadapter is further configured to: confirm authenticity of the multimediacontent item on the unsecured network; and in response to theconfirmation, retrieve the multimedia content item via the secure linkvia the unsecured network.
 12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein thesecured network comprises private networks of a television serviceprovider.
 13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the unsecured networkcomprises publicly accessible networks.
 14. The apparatus of claim 10,wherein the content adapter is further configured to: prioritizeinformation from the secured network and information from the unsecurednetwork based on a type of the content request.
 15. The apparatus ofclaim 14, wherein the content adapter is comprised in a proxy serverconfigured to service a set top box.
 16. The apparatus of claim 14,wherein the apparatus comprises a set top box.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 10, wherein the content adapter is further configured to:prioritize available bandwidth for information downloaded via thesecured network over information downloaded via the unsecured network.18. A method comprising: receiving, by a content adapter, at least onemultimedia communication between a receiver and at least one of asecured network and an unsecured network in communication therewith; ifthe at least one multimedia communication satisfies a threshold prioritylevel, passing the at least one multimedia communication, retrieved viathe secured network, via the content adapter according to one or moreprotocols and without confirming authenticity of the at least onemultimedia communication; and if the at least one multimediacommunication does not satisfy the threshold priority level, passing theat least one multimedia communication, retrieved via the unsecurednetwork via a secure link, via the content adapter.
 19. The method ofclaim 18, further comprising: confirming authenticity of the at leastone multimedia communication on the unsecured network; and in responseto the confirming, retrieving the at least one multimedia communicationvia the secure link via the unsecured network.
 20. The method of claim18, wherein the secured network comprises private networks of atelevision service provider.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein theunsecured network comprises publicly accessible networks.
 22. The methodof claim 18, further comprising prioritizing information from thesecured network and information from the unsecured network based on atype of the at least one multimedia communication.
 23. The method ofclaim 22, wherein the content adapter is comprised in a proxy serverconfigured to service a set top box.
 24. The method of claim 22, whereinthe content adapter is integrated within a set top box.
 25. The methodof claim 22, wherein the content adapter is attached to a set top box.26. The method of claim 18, further comprising prioritizing availablebandwidth for information downloaded to the content adapter via thesecured network over information downloaded to the content adapter viathe unsecured network.
 27. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining the priority level associated with the multimedia contentitem based on available bandwidth.
 28. The content adapter of claim 10,wherein the content adapter is further configured to: determine thepriority level associated with the multimedia content item based onavailable bandwidth.
 29. The method of claim 18, further comprisingdetermining the priority level based on available bandwidth.